What would your answer be if someone asked you to name Canada's national sport? Would you say baseball? No, probably not. Would you say basketball? Hmm, not really, no. Would you even say Lacrosse? Erm, I don’t think so. So what would you say? You'd say ice hockey, right? And well you should! Canadian teams have dominated the sport since the end of the 19th century, and the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHoF) is a monument to this achievement - a beacon to well over 100 years of glory.
I will be the first to admit that before I went to the HHoF I knew absolutely nothing about the sport. To me it was just a bunch of guys prancing around an ice rink, wearing the sort of padded clothes that would have made Dynasty actors blush, all trying to flick a little piece of rubber into the back of a net. On more than one occasion I sneered at any suggestion to go there; I mean what would there be to interest someone like me at the HHoF? Well, lots actually!
It was great! The HHoF was one of the coolest places I visited in Toronto (no pun intended). There is so much to do there. As well as walls and walls of memorabilia from almost every hockey team that ever existed to look at, there are videos to watch, documentaries to see, souvenirs to buy and momentos to pick up. There are jerseys and personal artefacts from some of the sport's greatest players - most of which are autographed - and there is even a trophy room, in which sits the very first Stanley Cup - the sport's most desired prize.
Anyone wanting a more interactive experience won't be disappointed either - the HHoF offers several activities that allow visitors to get more involved. Two in particular grabbed my interest. One was a miniature ice rink, where visitors can dress up in all the gear and can practice slamming pucks into goal. I had a lot of fun in there, slipping and sliding all over the rink as I tried to swipe at the puck, then falling on my butt when I missed! But another activity was the most entertaining as far as I was concerned - a sound booth that allows visitors to record their own commentary over an actual hockey game, then listen to the playback. I must have spent at least an hour in the booth perfecting my technique! And I laughed so much at my sorry attempts on the playback that I actually began to hurt. In the end, I was forced to move on to another attraction, when a small child who had been waiting for almost forty minutes tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he could have a go now. If it wasn't for him I'd probably still be in there now!
There is the obligatory shop in the HHoF too, of course - it would be silly to expect a place like this not to have one. But I was impressed with the shop there - it wasn't over priced like a lot of these kinds of shops tend to be, and there was an impressive selection of merchandise on sale too - hockey jerseys, caps, pucks, sticks and everything else you could ever imagine or want. But best of all, not even once did the assistants harass me or try to make me buy anything. They were happy just to let me stroll around at my leisure, and for that act alone they earned their pay for the week!
Contact information and prices for the Hockey Hall of Fame are as follows:
Address - 30 Yonge Street (near Front Street West); entrance is via BCE Place next door.
Opening times: Sept-June 10am-5pm Mon-Fri (9.30am-6pm Sat, 10.30am-5pm Sun); June-Aug 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat (10am-6pm Sun).
Entrance fee: $12 (children under 13: $7).
Telephone: 360-7735 or visit the website at www.hhof.com